Rail anchor



May 16, 950 A. F. FIFIELD 0 RAIL ANCHOR Filed Dec. 6, ,1946 2 Sheets-Sheet l May 16 1950 Filed Dec. 6, 1946 A. F. FIFIELDY 2,507,703

RAIL ANCHOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 WE F-MINVENTOR;

Patented May 16, 1950 UNITED STATES "rem orFicE RAIL AN CHOR Application December 6, 1946; Serial No. 714,511..

7 Claims.

My invention relates to rail anchors and, relatesumore particularly to improvements in .twopiece assembled. type rail anchors.

The rail anchor of my present invention involvescertainfeatures of improvement over prior rail anchors of the so-called assembled Stead type, substantially as-disclosed in the prior patent to F. W. Cooper, No. 2,022,880, issued Decemher 3, 1935, and an improved form'disclosed in the pending application of John W. Skeel, Serial- No. 675,495, filed June 8, 1946.

Whereas, the said improved form of Stead anchor achieves certain advantages through the use of a comparatively straighter retaining bar element, however, since in both cases, the planular upper surface of" the channel clamp web is employed as a camming surface against which an element of the retaining bar is camr-riingly engaged during the application of the two-piece anchor to a rail base, the use of such a straighter retaining bar is, in the Skeel design, necessarilyattended by such a change in the angular rela tion between the rail base and the clamp element of. the anchor that the tie-bearing surface afforded by the clamp sides represents a considerable reduction compared to the total area of the lateral surfaces of the clamp which is applied to said railbase in amuch less erect attitude.

The anchor of'my present invention is capable of affording a substantially more erect position for the clamp element while achieving the benefit of. use of the same type of relatively straight retaining bar as in the. Skeel design since no use is made of the upper planular surface of the clamp web to effect a deflecting camming reaction upon the driven retaining bar, a special clamp extension element being provided in my design to achieve this deflecting camming function.

Therefore, inmy present improved anchor,v a greater amount. of tie-bearing surface is achieved by the use of a more erect clamp and, at the same time, the advantages of the relatively straight form of. driving bar are susceptible of achievement without either advantage detracting from the other.

-ly improved anchor likewise affords certain other features, of improvement in Stead-type rail. anchors whichwill be presently described.

Anobject of. my invention. is to provide an. improved two-piece assembled Stead-type. rail anchor.

Another object of my invention is to provide 2 an assembled two-piece improved rail anchor of the Stead?.-typ.e wherein, the maximum. of'tiecaring surface is afforded .hy the lateral. surfaces of the clamp member.

Another object .of .myinvention is to. provide. for an improved .clamp. member for. a two-piece Stead. assembled. type rail. anchor a. channelshaped clamp member, provided with a reversed loop element adapted to afford a convex upwardly and forwardly-extending camming surface for engagement by adownwardly projecting intermediateV-shaped portion of a'relatively straight retaining bar, when: the bar; is driven to effect application of the anchor to a rail..

Another object ofmy invention is to-- provide an improved. clamp member for a'tWo-piece assembled anchor of the Stead-rSkeel type adapted to afford a ready means for bundling a largenumber of assembled rail anchors. of' my improved type together forshipment, transportation and handling.

Other. objects of: my invention and the invention; itself will becomernore apparent to those skilled in the art to which my invention appertains by reference to: the following description of a specific embodiment of my inventiomwhich I now prefer and from the accompanying drawings illustrating the same embodiment.

In the drawings:-

Fig. 1 illustrates a lateral View partly in side elevation and partly in medial transverse section of the said embodiment of my invention illustrated in place on a rail base, ready to be driven to clamping engagement thereon. This view has superposed thereon dotted lines showing the final applied positionof the rail anchor;

Fig. 2 is a front elevational View of the clamp member of the said embodiment;

Fig. 3 illustrates a side elevational view of the said clamp member of Fig. 2;"

Fig. 4 illustrates a rear elevational view thereof Fig. 5 is a. perspectiveyview illustrating a view of a large number of assembled rail anchors of the said embodiment bundled together by passing a length of baling wirev through, the eyes afforded by the loop camming element of the clamp member; and

Fig. 6 is a topplan View of the anchor of the said. embodiment.

Referring now to the drawings in all of which like parts are indicated by like reference characters, thev anchor of my invention comprises a retaining bar member 2 and achannel shaped clamp member I, the bar member 2 being preferably of either form disclosed in the said Skeel application for patent or in any variant form whereby the principle of operation thereof may be applied for the described purposes.

The bar essentially comprises a rearmost straight end 3, an upstanding hook 4 at its front end which is carried by a substantially straight forward portion 5, there being interposed between the portions 3 and 5 a substantially V-shaped interconnecting portion 6. The angularity as between medial lines such as Ed and 6b of the two arms a and b of the V portion are preferably about 104, although such a substantial amount of variation is later herein explained.

The rearmost portion of the bar portion 5 which is disposed adjacent to and forwardly of the V section 6 is preferably disposed below the plane of the rearmost section 3 and its more forward portion approaching the hook supporting end gradually rises towards a forward extension of the plane of said rearmost bar portion 3.

The clamp is provided with two generally parallel upstanding arms 1 and 8 whose forward edges are rearwardly and upwardly notched to provide the upper jaws 99 and the lower jaws l0l0, said jaws being duplicated in the two arms.

The clamp web ll of said clamp channel is preferably planular but more importantly said web II affords a support for the base !2a of a loop l2 which extends forwardly outwardly by a portion [2b from said web II, and is arcuately rearwardly curved to afford the reentrant tongue I20 which terminates at l2d in a tip which, in the embodiment illustrated, is shown in engagement with the upper surface of the web at an intermediate point of its length, said point x being preferably disposed somewhat forwardly of the web mid-portion.

The rearwardly and downwardly inclined upper surface 12 of the reentrant limb I20 of the loop I2 is preferably of longitudinally extending convex form to afford a camming seat for the arm a of the V-shaped section 6 of the retaining bar 2, said limb being substituted for the cam seat previously afforded in the aforesaid Skeel structure, by the inclined upper surface of the channel web.

Since the lower jaws ID of the clamp l are adapted, as shown in Fig. 1, to engage fiatwise with the rail base bottom I4, the relative angularity of the surface of said jaw with respect to the front and rear edges [3 and 15 of the channel arms determines the angularity as between the front and rear edges M and I5 of the clamp arms, relative to the plane of the rail base bottom l3.

In the present embodiment of my invention, and to achieve an increased area of tie-bearing surface below the plane of said rail base, I have preferably disposed the surfaces of the lower jaws l 0, at an obtuse angle of approximately 110, with respect to the adjacent front edge portions of the clamp arms which extend downwardly from said jaw l0, whereby the lower portions of said front edges are disposed at an acute angle of 70 to the bottom surface of the rail base.

The provision of the inclined surface portion l2), disposed substantially about the level of the channel web ll, permits said lower jaws ID to be placed nearer the tops of the clamp arms than otherwise would be the case if the cam follower arm a of the retaining bar 2 were required to directly engage the web H in accord with prior art practice.

From the foregoing, it will be clear that in the anchor of my present invention the angular relation of the channel web H with respect to the lower jaw I0 is unimportant except insofar as its attitude may afford a greater area of tiebearing siuface.

While the downwardly inclined loop tongue |2f may be variously found, the convex longitudinal form of its upper surface is preferred since such form affords a very efficient camming surface with respect to the outer and downwardly confronting surface of the cam-follower arm a, of the retaining bar section 6.

However, I am aware that my invention may be practiced in other embodiments wherein said reentrant camming surface may be made more nearly, or actually, straight within the spirit of my invention.

I have also applied to the anchor of my invention certain features of improvement designed to make the two-piece anchor susceptible to preassembly of its constituent parts in such manner that said anchor may be assembled, transported to the point of application and applied to the rail base and removed therefrom as a unitary rail anchor without disassembly of the two parts and without substantial de-arrangement from their initial assembled relationship.

Corresponding to the features of improvement present in the said prior Skeel anchor, the upper portions of the channel arms I and 8 are preferably inwardly offset in such manner that all portions of said arms which are disposed upwardly of a zone indicated by the line 16, Fig. 1, are disposed more closely together than portions of the arms which are disposed below said zone.

At Ha, Figs. 2 and 4, the offsetting to accomplish the above result is best illustrated, being indicated also by shading lines in the different figures.

Also, to facilitate a reliably tight preassembly of the anchor parts, the lower jaws are deflected inwardly, and other portions of the side arms at 38 below the lower jaws l0, and at ll near the rear edge of the channel arms are indentured inwardly to cause such localized portions of the inner surfaces of the clamp arms to protrude inwardly, with the result that the inwardly deflected portions 38a overlie the retaining bar intermediate portion which becomes interposed between said portions 38a and the opposing upper surface of the reentrant loop l2, so that this intermediate portion of the bar is restrained from undue up-and-clown movement by said projections and said reentrant loop portions.

The similar rearwardly and upwardly disposed inward protrusions Ha are adapted, when the rail anchor parts are preassembled, to underlie the rear portion 3 of the bar 2 so as to prevent said rail bar portion from being unduly displaced downwardly within the clamp arms.

As another feature of improvement, I preferably give the upper portions of the clamp arms a slight twist to skew said upper arm portions whereby the rearmost upwardly disposed portions 15 of the arms are more closely brought together than the foremost portions 44 of said arms whereby a pinching frictional engagement is had by said arms upon said rearmost bar portion, which rests upon the ledges afforded by the protuberances H.

To preassemble the anchor parts, this operation is conducted in the same manner as with the said Slieel anchor; the rearmost endofrthe banbeing'" the clamp from betweensaid arms; thetsaid'rearf bar end is then forced upwardly between, the channel arms thereby wedging said arms past the:

opposing inward projections H: until saidrear." bar portion is disposed just abovesaidl projece' tion Na, and is compressedbetween the cone vergedrear edges lS-ofv the upperportions of saidarms.

The unitary preassembled-anchor is applied-to a: rail base in the manner of said'Skeel anchor and.

substantiall in the manner of the priorCooper" patented anchor, being first manually'placed n the rail base flange 2i), saidfiange'being received.-

between the upper and lower pairs ofv jEtWS'B. and Hi, to an extent indicated by the solid'lines of. Fig. 1, both anchor parts then being in the-position indicated by the solid lines of Fig. i, then, by driving blows directed uponthe rearmost impact end M of the bar 2, the assembled dual parts will be moved forwardly to the dotted line positions of Fig. 1, the final position being that wherein: the book 4 preliminarily impelled bysaid' blowsto slide upon the rail base bottom, and as a re-' sult of the stressing of the bar asa result of camming action exerted by the upper surface 527 of;

the reentrant loop l2, against the opposing camfollower surface of the V section arm a of said bar, the bar end t is caused to be snapped" over the edge of the opposite rail base flange 2|", whereupon the parts will be tightly retained on. the rail base, with the major portion of the anchor projecting below said rail base to make lateral tie-bearing engagement with a railway tie disposed contiguously to the anchor.

The relative resiliency of the bar and the inter? engaged loop l2 are such as to makethe driving operation readily effected, there being. suidcient rigidity in said bar and loop parts to prevent said By the dotted line showing of Fig. 1, it will'be clear that, by the substitution of thereentrant.

loop IE to afford a more abruptly upwardly. ine i2 the, relatively clined camming surface at straight bar Z'may be employed withoutupwardly tilting. the, channel web- 1 l to. any such: abrupt. angle as beforeproposed; and; that, as a furtherresult, all. except a minor portionv of the outer lateralsurfaces of. the channel side arms. 1' and; 8: are. disposed below the rail base bottom and, therefore afford. a maximum area of tieebearing surface without-unduly increasing the overall size and weight of. the clampelement and withoutam preciably decreasing the strength'thereof.

At the same time, the provision of m im: proved loop shaped camming element facilitates the provision of an upwardly and rearwardly. pre:- sented inclinedsurfaceof mostrefiicientaformthe.

p additionally achieving-the advantagezof pros viding a. passage: for rope, twine, orbailing wire; shown at. Hit inrFig. 5,.which thus maybe passedv through" a; large number of assembled anchors,. theellds being tied or twisted together, and any desired number'of assembledanchors may thus.

be" bundled. for, handling, shipment and disposition at" intervals alongthe railway'for application totherails.

Having described my invention in a specific embodiment, I am aware that numerous and extensivedepartures may bemade from theprecise details and fromthe dimensions herein set forth for the particular-embodiment which I conceived to be best, but without departing from the spirit of my invention and the scope'of the appendedfclaims.

Iclaim:

1. A rail anchor comprising a channel and. a: a tongue integrally'formed therewith, said channel having'like jaw notches extending rearwardly ins wardly and upwardly-of both arms from the for.- ward edges thereof to provide a set of upper and lower. jaws adapted to embrace the upper and lower surfaces of the same rail bas flange, said.

lower jaw surfaces being planular andadapted to be disposed in flatwise engagement with the lower surface of a rail base flange, saidtongue being in the form of' a loop and secured by an end to and based upon a portion of the channel which is disposed below said lower jaws and in substantially interspaced relation thereto and said tongue extending forwardly and upwardly and then rearwardly and downwardly from its base portion to dispose its other end in proximity to the upper side of an intermediate portion of the channel web and between the channel arms, and an intermediate portion of said loop tongue affording an inclined camming surface which is'disposed in substantially abruptly converging relation to a forward projection of said lower jaw surfaces, and a retaining bar bent from initial straight form to afford an approximately central portion deflected substantially downwardly with respect to th other portions of the bar, said bar terminating forwardly in an upturned hook and adapted to be driven forwardl'y by blows directed against its rear end, said end extending rearwardly from between the clamp arms, said central portion of said bar adapted for camming engagement with said camming surface of said tongue responsive to driving of the bar, and the intermediate portions of the bar comprising said central portion adapted to be resiliently displaced towards the rail base bottom responsive to the resultant upward camming of the intermediate bar portion, to cause-said hookto be snapped over the edge of the other rail base flange.

2.. A rail. anchor comprising a channel and a tongue integrally formed therewith, said chair-- nelhaving like jaw notches extending rearwardly! inwardly and upwardly of both arms from the forward. edges thereof to provide a set of upper; and lower jawsadapted to embrace the up:-

per. and lower surfaces of the same: rail base flange; said lower jaw surfaces being substantially planular: and adapted to disposed. in.

substantially iiatwise engagement with the lowersurface of a rail base flange, said tongue bent to the form of a loop and secured byan end to and based upon a portion of the channel which is disposed'xbelow said lower jaws and in substantially interspaced'relation; thereto, be'-- :5. ing extended: forwardly and upwardly, and then rearwardly and downwardly from its base portion to dispose its other end in proximity to the upper side of an intermediate portion of the channel web and between the channel arms, and an intermediate portion of said loop tongue affording an inclined camming surface which is disposed in substantially abruptly converging relation to a forward projection of said lower jaw surfaces, and a generally straight retaining bar having an intermediate portion bent from initially straight form to afford a downwardly bowed medial portion, said bar terminating forwardly-in an upturned hook and adapted to be driven forwardly by blows directed against its rear end, which normally extends rearwardly from between the clamp arms, said medial portion adapted for camming engagement with said tongue camming surface responsive to driving of said bar, the intermediate portions of the bar comprising said central portion adapted to be resiliently displaced forwardly and upwardly towards the rail base bottom responsive to said camming engagement to cause said hook to be moved and be snapped over the edge of the other rail base flange.

3. A rail anchor comprising originally separate clamp and a retaining bar member, said clamp formed from a single piece of sheet metal so cut and bent to provide a channel having a pair of upstanding parallel arms and a tongue extending outwardly from an edge of the channel web and then successively upwardly rearwardly and then downwardly to provide a reentrant loop, the long reentrant arm of said loop being so formed as to afford an inclined upper cam surface, sai channel arms being rearwardly and upwardly notched from corresponding forward edges of each to provide each with like pairs of upper and lower jaw surfaces, said bar being formed from substantially flat stock and having a substantially V-shaped intermediate section and a substantially straight rear section, the front section terminating forwardly in an abruptly u-pturned hook portion, said upper and lower jaws adapted to be placed in embracing relation to a rail base flange with said bar having a substantial portion of its length disposed below the rail base while disposed between the channel arms, and with said V-section of said bar disposed for engagement with said 100p cam surface responsive to blows directed upon the rear end of the bar, whereby said V-section is cammingly deflected upwardly when the bar is thus driven forwardly, the forward motion of the bar adapted to project its hook end to the opposite side of the rail base from said clamp, and the effect of upwardly directed deflection of said bar causing said hook to be snapped over the edge of the said opposite rail base flange.

4. A rail anchor comprisin a Stead type clamp comprising a pendant channel web and a pair of rearwardly notched channel arms, the upper and lower edge surfaces of each notch respectively affording companion upper and companion lower rail flange embracing jaws wherein said pendant web is disposed at a forwardly converging angle of approximately 70 to the plane of the companion lower jaws, and said clamp comprising a tongue integrally formed with said web and merged therewith at the forward portion of the Web and projecting therefrom in the form of a re-entrant loop having its free end portion directed inwardly between lower portions of said arms and rearwardly and downwardly towards an intermediate portion of the upper surface of said web to afford an upwardly and forwardly inclined cammin surface, and a retaining bar having a substantially straight rear end portion extending in a generally forward direction and terminating forwardly in an upturned hook, said bar comprising a downwardly deflected medial portion adapted to be cammed forwardly and upwardly by engagement thereof with the said tongue camming surface when said clamp is ailixed to one flange of a rail base and said bar adapted to be driven forwardly by blows directed upon its rear end, and said clamp jaws adapted for movement further onto said flange responsive to driving of the bar, and said cammin engagement between said deflected bar portion and said tongue camming surface adapted to effect resilient deflection of an intermediate portion of the bar which is of substantial length, whereby said bar is advanced and said hook is caused to be snapped over the remote rail base flange.

5. A rail anchor comprising originally separate clamp and a retaining bar member, said clamp comprising a single piece of sheet metal of such form as to permit it to be bent to provide a channel having a pair of upstanding parallel arms and a tongue extendin outwardly from an edge of the channel web and then successively upwardly rearwardly and then downwardly to provide a reentrant loop, the lon reentrant aim of said loop being so formed as to afford an inclined upper cam surface, said channel arms being rearwardly and upwardly notched from corresponding forward edges of each to provide each with like pairs of upper and lower jaw surfaces, said bar being formed from substantially flat stock and having a substantially V-shaped intermediate section and a substantially straight rear section, the front section terminating forwardly in an abruptly upturned hook portion, said upper and lower jaws adapted to be placed in embracing relation to a rail base flange with said bar having a substantial portion of its length disposed below the rail base while disposed between the channel arms, and with said V-section of said bar disposed for engagement with said loop cam surface responsive to blows directed upon the rear end of the bar, whereby said V-section is cammingly deflected upwardly when the bar is thus driven forwardly, the forward motion of the bar adapted to project its hook end to the opposite side of the rail base from said clamp, and the effect of upwardly directed deflection of said bar causing said hook to be snapped over the edge of the said opposite rail base flange, said lower jaw surfaces be ing substantially planular and disposed at an angle of approximately to the plane of the forward edges of the portions of said clamp channel arms which are operatively disposed below said lower jaws.

6. A rail anchor comprising a pair of respectively clamp and retaining bar members, said clamp so formed of a single piece of sheet metal bent to provide two laterally directed portions disposed in relative interspaced parallelism and an interconnecting web to provide a channel, and to provide a tongue portion of said web bent into the form of a loop having a re-entrant free end portion disposed between the channel arms and directed rearwardly and downwardly towards an intermediate portion of the channel web, said arms being each notched rearwardly and upwardly from their front edges to afford by their upper and lowerv notch edges, corresponding upper and lower rail base flange embracing jaws, said bar member comprising an upturned hook at its forward end and an intermediately disposed pendant calm-follower portion and being adapted to be driven by a rearmost portion between said channel arms between the rail base and said re-entrant portion of said 100p, said cam-follower portion of said bar adapted for camming engagement by said re-entrant loop portion of said tongue during driving of said bar to eiTect resilient deflection of intermediate portions of the bar to eifect resilient snapping of said hook over the relatively remote rail base flange when said hook is driven beyond said remote flange edge.

7. A rail anchor comprising a pair of respectively clamp and a retaining bar member, said clamp formed of a substantially channel-shaped single piece of sheet metal, the two arms of the channel being disposed in relatively interspaced parallelism and the web portion of said channel being provided with an integral tongue bent into the form of a loop, said loop having a re-entrant free end portion disposed between the channel arms and directed rearwardly and downwardly towards an intermediate portion of the channel web, said arms being each notched rearwardly and upwardly from their front edges to afford by their upper and lower notch edges, corresponding upper and lower rail base flange embracing jaws, said bar comprising an upturned hook at its forward end and an intermediately disposed pendant cam-follower portion, and adapted to be driven by a rearmost portion between said channel arms between the rail base and said cam-follower portion of said loop, adapted for camming engagement by said bar cam-follower portion during driving of said bar to effect resilient deflection of intermediate portions of the bar to effect resilient snapping of said hook over the relatively remote rail base flange when said hook is driven beyond said remote flange edge, said lower jaw surfaces being substantially planular and disposed at an angle of approximately 110 to the plane of the forward edges of the portions of said clamp channel arms which are operatively disposed below said lower aws.

ALBERT F. FIFIELD.

No references cited. 

